Actualise elusive dream to set up fertiliser plant

When a joint delegation of government officials from Kenya and Tanzania toured Intracom fertiliser production plant in Dodoma , Tanzania during a bench-marking tour on fertiliser production on February 3,2023. [Jacinta Mutura, Standard]

The government is committed to boost agricultural production. This evident from the emphasis it puts on fertiliser. Agriculture Principal Secretary Kiprono Ronoh said recently there are plans to procure 7.5 million bags of fertiliser for the long rains season.

The ministry estimates that 900,000 tonnes of fertiliser are required to produce enough food for the country. Already, a consignment of 400,000 tonnes has arrived at the port of Mombasa.

Besides buying fertiliser, the government also banks on fertiliser donations. Recently, the Algerian government donated of 16,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Kenya. In June 2023, Kenya received a donation of 34,400 tonnes of raw fertiliser from Russia. Earlier, Kenya had received fertiliser donation from Morocco. That is good show of brotherhood.

However, as agriculture forms the backbone of our economy and it is unacceptable that after 60 years after independence, Kenya still relies on expensive fertiliser imports and the generosity of foreigners to drive this important sector.

The need to establish a local fertiliser manucturing plant has been noted by respective administrations but has never been actualised.

In 1975, the government got into partnership with an American firm, N-Ren to set up the KenRen Chemical and Fertiliser Plant, but the project collapsed. President Mwai kibaki had plans to set up a fertiliser factory but that did not happen either.

In 2014, Japanese firm Toyota Tsusho was awarded a tender to build a fertiliser plant in Nakuru that would have cost $1.2 at the time but the plan never came to pass. In 2021, Italian firm Maire Tecnimont SPA planned to set up a fertiliser plant in Kenya in partnership with Naivasha-based Oserian Development Company, but that plan has never materialised too.

We cannot depend on fertiliser imports and donations forever. The government should ensure that a fertiliser factory is set up locally so as to lower the price of fertiser once and for all and strengthen the backbone of our economy.